The Emerald Legend (Book 1)

Chapter Eight: Shrine of the Emerald

They made their way deep into the forest and the trees began to change; the land was thicker and harder to tread. The familiar pine trees began to shift into winding willows and tall oaks.

Amalia noticed that the ground was covered in moss and crawling roots. Seian's paws were pushing into the moss and began to get thick with soot and mud.

She slipped off Seian's saddle onto the soft ground below and looked over to Calhūn who had now halted his horse.

"The grounds becoming a bit hard for Seian to tread through," Amalia said dusting some of the mud off of Seian's legs.

"That's alright," he said slipping his foot over the side of his horse and landing in the dirt below. "We should give our riders a rest while we explore. We've never been to this part of the forest anyways."

Amalia looked around a bit, noticing the complete unfamiliarity of the landscape.

"You're right," she said with a tinge of excitement in her voice. "There's bound to be hidden treasures here."

"Especially since the ocean's so close. Shipwrecks often occur on uncharted, jagged shorelines." Calhūn dusted his pants off.

Amalia smiled as she took a few steps into the forest, she saw the crooked spiraling roots under her and smelled the moist earthy scent of the soil. There was a slight breeze grabbing at the branches that reached out from the willows, and the sound of shaking leaves filled the still air.

Amalia turned back to her loyal rider, Seian. "Stay here, Sy," she commanded. He graciously complied with her orders. She then turned her attention to Calhūn. "I'm going to look around this corner for a bit."

Calhūn nodded and pointed with his thumb to the left.

"I'll go over here a ways. Don't stray too far," he said as Amalia shimmied over a fallen log and out of sight.

"I won't!" she shouted back to Calhūn.

Amalia walked slowly into the forest, past the hanging vines and swaying branches until she came upon a clearing in the trees. There seemed to be something profound about the way the light beamed down between the leaves and danced in the air and on the soft ground which made her stop. Amalia stepped into the light and felt the warmth on her skin, it filled her entire being with a pure radiant energy. She lifted her arms and twirled a bit in the light, feeling the breeze and warmth wrap all around her. As she slowed, a faint green twinkle caught her eye. She halted and turned in the direction of the light, but it was left unfound. She moved to the side once more and was met by the same shine coming from an odd square hole upon an even odder looking square boulder.

Her brow furrowed as she approached the peculiar rock. She stepped slowly over the mossy ground and the green twinkle became faint. As she drew near the small square opening, she cupped her hands around it and peered inside. There was an entire room with vines growing along the walls and scattered dust covering the floor. At its center, she saw something atop a stone pedestal. Within was so dark, though, that only the crumbling walls could be made out.

She took her face away from the opening and looked at the woodland flora that had completely taken over the structure. She knew she couldn't uncover the place without Calhūn's help so she turned back to the pathway and began calling out to him.

"Calhūn!" She yelled excitedly, enticing a ruffling in the bushes near their riders where Calhūn emerged out of breath.

"Are you alright!?" he asked, startled by her sudden outburst.

"Come look through here!" she said excitedly, standing only inches from the small window.

"Have you found something?" He took a gulp in between breaths as he made his speedy approach.

"Have a look for yourself," she said motioning towards the small aperture. He glanced back at her for a moment, and when she motioned to the small hole again, he gave in and proceeded. He held his hands over the opening to keep the light from obstructing his view while he peered inside. What he found made his face light up with sheer excitement.

"We've got to find a way inside," he said, moving away from the hole and looking back to Amalia.

"So, I suppose you now owe me ten percent of your half," she said, convinced that she must be a comical genius for coming up with that joke. Calhūn stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her with a stark expression.

"And how's that?" he asked in a salt riddled tone while circling the structure.

"Well, I am the one who found this treasure," she said playing further into the joke and following in his steps.

"Perhaps we should call it even," he said holding his arms out with a welcoming gesture. "Let us not forget the value of a life." He placed his hands upon the hem of his tunic. "Treasure cannot return your life to you."

"Yeah, yeah," she said rolling her eyes playfully. "Let us just find a way in, my noble savior," she said sarcastically, swooning over her last words as she threw her hand over her forehead and leaned gently backwards.

"Ha, ha," Calhūn said and turned away from her. "I'm sure there's a way in around here somewhere." He touched the mossy texture of the covered shrine, pushing his hands past the green foliage to feel smooth brick beneath. He ran his hands across it, pushing the vines away and feeling for a door.

Amalia watched as Calhūn approached the tree held up by the structure; he proceeded to search the roots for anything that could be obstructing a path or a door. He muttered disappointedly when he found nothing and proceeded to move forward towards the small window at the front of the covered block.

"I see no obvious way in," Calhūn said a bit stumped. "Perhaps, we should return with tools and make ourselves a door." "The sun will set soon," she said turning back to the light of the fading day. "Shall we return tomorrow?"

"Aye, perhaps it is best we return in the morning," he said while resting his hands against the back of his head. "We shall see this room when light breaks the trees."

"And when we have our treasure, we can find your father," she said determined to never give up the search for Calhūn's father whom had gone missing some years ago.

"And you," he said with a faint pain behind his eyes, "will be free to escape the bounds of marriage."

"Will you not accompany me? Was not our greatest dream the tales of adventure?" She smiled brightly to her dearest friend.

"Indeed, yes, and finding my father shall be such an adventure," Calhūn said returning her smile. Amalia beamed towards him and excitement bubbled within her.

"Then our journey must wait until tomorrow," she said grabbing Cal's hand and rushing back to their riders. Calhūn turned back to gaze upon the shrine one final time before their departure.

"Let us not forget the placement of this holy place," he said slowing Amalia's hurry. "For if we do, our adventure will stop here."

Amalia looked at him with desperation in her eyes. The anger she held within herself from the proposal of the prince shook her deep within.

"I will not forget, I will find this shrine if the entire forest becomes ablaze. I will become fire, if not to find this shrine."

Calhūn smiled with her words, and she believed he felt them deeply. "Let us go rest, for tomorrow lies our fate."